Sam Woolf, 17, Majesty Rose, 21, and M.K. Nobilette, 20, appeared to be early fan favorites but no one was guaranteed safe as host Ryan Seacrest informed the contestants who would be moving forward in the competition. Spoiler alert: Keep reading to find out who went home.

Eventually ending up on the chopping block as the bottom 3 were Malaya Watson, 16, Kristen O'Connor, 24, and Nobilette.

After a performance by season 12 winner Candice Glover as well as Jake Bugg, the time came for Seacrest to deliver the bad news.

Nobilette was the first contestant sent back to the safety of the blue couches, leaving Watson and O'Connor waiting to hear if they had won a spot in the Top 12.

In the end, Watson was saved and O'Connor became season 13's first casualty.

"Part of me was really expecting it tonight," O'Connor tells PEOPLE of her elimination.

"I knew that because I was a Wildcard, America hadn't voted me in the first time and that there was a big chance. I really felt like I needed a killer performance last night and I think it went well, but not as well as I would have hoped. I've learned much about myself."